Investigators say engine stopped in flight before fatal aircraft crash in Colorado
By Christa Swanson
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Colorado (KCNC) — Investigators have released a preliminary report on an aircraft crash in Colorado that claimed the lives of two pilots, stating the plane’s engine suddenly stopped in flight.
According to the National Transportation Safety Board, a pilot was receiving instruction when the Beech P35 airplane crashed near Englewood on Sept. 5. Officials said the pilot wanted to receive training on the aircraft because he planned to purchase a similar airplane. They took off from Centennial Airport at 5:43 a.m. and remained in their traffic pattern and performed several landings, the NTSB said.
The report states that neither pilot sent a distress call before the crash.
A firefighter said he was around 1.5 miles south of the crash site when he heard the airplane fly overhead. He told investigators he heard the engine stop completely as it flew past.
A woman who lives south of the airport also spotted the plane and told investigators that she saw it flying on a different flight path, lower than she was used to seeing. She also heard the engine go silent and said the airplane banked hard to the left as it descended.
At 6:23 a.m., the airplane collided with several concrete pole barriers in front of a generator before it came to a stop. The plane was destroyed in the crash, and both pilots were fatally injured. The Douglas County Coroner later identified the men as Perry “Matt” Feeney of Arvada and Lee “Rob” Hill of Greenwood Village.
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